Boxing
Radivoje Kalajdzic: Artur Beterbijew sucks the soul out of you
Published
3 months agoon
Radivoje Kalajdzic is a man who loves his job.
The fighter they call “Heated Rod” is living his best life, even after a hard-fought loss to David Morrell on August 3.
Although Kalajdzic feels he deserved more recognition in Los Angeles, the St. Petersburg, Florida native hopes his performance was good enough to earn him another substantial fight.
“Well, I like that,” he said. Kalajdzic asked about his further motivation. “I like sparring, fighting. I do everything. So when I lose the love for it, I’ll retire. But it’s like a job for me, but a job that I love. It’s putting food on the table, putting money on the table and food for my family. So like I said, I box and I fight and I get paid for it, so I can’t complain.”
The married father of three – two girls and a boy aged nine, six and five – has signed up for the fight with David Benavidez later this year and it is clear he has a lot of respect for the ‘Mexican monster’.
“Yeah, I think he’s a good puncher, he’s really brisk,” the Serb admitted. “I think he’s got a really good interior game, but I think Caleb Plant showed in the first five, six rounds that he can be boxed. But Plant eventually got tired, and then Benavidez started planning his game. Regardless, it’s going to be a good fight if me and him fight.”
Benavidez is coming off a points victory over the tough and athletic Ukrainian former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June. It was a tougher fight than many thought. Did that mean Benavidez might not be the same force at 175 that he was at super middleweight, or did Gvozdyk have more power than many thought?
“Well, Gvozdyk, maybe he has a lot of them [left]”- said ‘Heated Rod’. – I don’t know if he’s got much left. Maybe so, but he [Gvozdyk] he has a lot of amateur experience. He fought a lot of pros and he got experience and he knew how to weather the storm, stay placid. And after Benavidez got a little bit better, Gvozdyk started coming back. I mean, even Gvozdyk was beating [Artur] Beterbiev, I think so [until] ninth, tenth round. It was a close fight, but I think Gvozdyk came out on top. But like I said, Beterbiev will eventually tire you out and ponderous you down. That pressure for 12 rounds, it’s just, it’s stiff to deal with. And if he could deal with that with Beterbiev, Benavidez is by no means a monster or a boxer like Beterbiev.”
If Kalajdzic has a ton of respect for Benavidez, and he exudes it for Beterbiev, who is the only man to have stopped him. They sparred before, with Beterbiev stopping him in five rounds in 2019, becoming the only man to stop Kalajdzic in his 32-fight career.
“What I see him do to people during sparring is just crazy” adds the 33-year-old. “He just, you know, he won’t even throw that many punches in the first two or three rounds, and people are just exhausted because he’s right in your face and he just keeps coming. Just his presence, his pressure. He’s real.”
Kalajdzic He also believes that Beterbiev will win the most significant fight in October in Riyadh, when he will try to unify the 175-pound titles against Dmitry Bivol.
“I think Arthur Beterbiev [win]”predicted” Kalajdzic. “Just because of his strength, aggression and the fact that he’s a very good boxer, even though he fights and hits stiff. He breaks you down round after round, you could say he just sucks the soul out of you.
“I’ve fought him many times and even during the fight I felt like I was training with him in the fight, so he doesn’t hit that stiff, he just breaks you down and tires you out and eventually he stops you and breaks you down.”
Does Does Kalajdzic think the unification fight will live up to expectations and hype?
“Well, any fight Beterbiev has is damn close to being the fight of the year. He makes you fight in his fight, so it’ll be really fascinating to see if Bivol can stay away from him for 12 rounds.”
Kalajdzic is hoping to be back in the game with a substantial name before the end of the year. He is also keen to travel to the UK to fight some of the top airy heavyweights, including the likes of Anthony Yarde. He knows he will probably get written off again, but that doesn’t bother him. He is cheerful with his experience and progress.
“I just know what my skills are and from that fight with Beterbiev, looking back at the fight with Beterbiev and now, how much smarter and better I am as a fighter and how much more I think,” he said. “Over time, my coach and I have developed my fight game and we have a good game plan.
“I’ve learned so much and I’m just such a placid warrior. And for people who talk, talk about this and talk about this and that, I’m doing something I love and I get paid well for it. So I don’t care what they say.
“I’m ready to fight anyone. As you can see, I fought Beterbiev. Then I fought David Morrell when no one wanted to fight him. I’m ready to fight anyone, why not? That’s why I box.”
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Boxing
Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul
Published
8 hours agoon
November 21, 2024One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
Boxing
Lauren Price looks to win Jonas vs Habazin with an undercard victory
Published
1 day agoon
November 21, 2024Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.
Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.
Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.
Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.
Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.
Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.
There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.
Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.
McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.
English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.
Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.
Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.
After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.
Boxing
Heavyweight who knocked out Lewis to break Tyson’s record days after the feat
Published
2 days agoon
November 19, 2024Mike Tyson will miss his final record-breaking days after becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to walk through the ring.
“The Baddest Man on the Planet” reached an all-time high in Texas on Friday night, returning from a two-decade absence. However, Tyson gave the achievement five days later to former Lennox Lewis conqueror Oliver McCall.
On Tuesday night at The Troubadour in Nashville, Tennessee, the former WBC heavyweight champion returns to action and will face veteran Stacy Frazier in a fight scheduled for four rounds. At age 59, McCall will set the record for a sanctioned fight, beating Tyson by fourteen months.
McCall was born in April 1965, and Tyson’s mother gave birth to him in June 1966. “The Atomic Bull” hopes to score his 60th career victory tonight. He enters the fight with a record of 59-14, including 38 knockouts.
The Chicago native believes his continued activity over the last 19 years will be what separates his performance on Tuesday night from what Tyson looked like on Friday.
“I’m ready. I’ve been training here in Nashville for a few weeks now, but I’m always in shape,” McCall said. “It will be a completely different match than what the fans saw on Friday.
“I think being lively has a lot to do with it. I haven’t fought in five years because of the pandemic and a few things that didn’t work out.
“If you look at my record, since 2005 I have fought 25 times, of which I have won 19-6 times against quality fighters and won various regional titles.
McCall fights without financial motivation. He sees his fighting days approaching and is already planning his post-retirement plans.
“I want to do this for another year. This means I will be 40 years into my career as a professional boxer. Then I want to train and become a manager. I want to return the favor and assist the next generation of players try to become world champions.
“I came here to Nashville and contacted the manager who took me to the title [Country Box] promoter Jimmy Adams. I’m learning a lot about this aspect of the sport. I love the players here and everything that happens with Country Box.”
The Country Box 25 gala will also feature eight-round fights between super bantamweight Elon DeJesus (8-1-2, 7 KO) and Dominique Griffin (5-7-2, 2 KO), as well as super middleweight fighters. Sean Hemphill (16-2, 10 KO) fights Bryant McClain (6-5-2, 1 KO).
Airy heavyweight Isaac Carbonell (8-0, 5 KO) will face Antonio Louis Hernandez (7-19-4, 4 KO) in six-round fights; Joel Mutombo (6-0, 4 KO) vs. Kevin Torian (3-2, 3 KO) in a cruiserweight fight.
In a four-round fight, Ryan Zempoaltecatl (2-0, 1 KO) will face Raymond Chacon (10-64-1, 2 KO).
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